1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conference aided system which is configured by interconnecting a conference management server, an input board which has a board surface and is used to input handwritten information, and an image storage apparatus via a network, and aids execution of process associated with a conference, an input board and a control method thereof, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in order to effectively utilize a conference room, the use of a conference room reservation system using a computer has prevailed. Also, an input board such as an electronic blackboard, whiteboard, or the like is often connected to a network.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-165577 implements backup (storage) of image data by storing image data recognized from a rendering surface on the electronic blackboard. Also, there has been proposed a conference aided apparatus with high usability, which allows to search and use the stored image data based on information such as a conference or the like which can be specified, and can store and manage image data of a conference note and the like without any filing.
As a blackboard which can be connected to a network, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-23318 proposes a configuration which renders externally entered image data on an electronic blackboard.
However, the above prior arts do not propose any device for improving the use efficiency of the electronic blackboard and smoothly managing a conference by using the electronic blackboard set in a conference room in collaboration with the conference room reservation system.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-165577 can store image data rendered on the electronic blackboard, but cannot render image data such as stored conference references and the like on the electronic blackboard.
When a plurality of organizations share a few conference rooms in an office, if one organization wants to hold a conference for a long period of time, it is often the case that it cannot occupy one conference room continuously but must move to another conference room during the conference.
For example, when one organization wants to hold conference A from 9:00 to 12:00, it can hold the conference from 9:00 to 10:00 using the first conference room and from 10:00 to 12:00 using the second conference room if there is no conference room which can be continuously used from 9:00 to 12:00. In such situation, it is convenient to also use, in the second conference room, the contents written on the electronic blackboard in the first conference room.
When identical participant periodically hold a conference, it is convenient to reproduce, in the next conference, the contents written on the electronic blackboard in the previous conference.